NY Bus Driver Saves Woman from Jumping Off Bridge

A corrections officer and a female driver who’d been behind the bus came to help, speaking to the woman until police and an ambulance arrived.

“While I was holding her, listening to their questions, I just prayed,” the bus driver said. “Whatever was on her mind, it had her. It really, really had her.”

When the ambulance drove away, Barton got back on his bus — and received a standing ovation from the high school students and other passengers who’d been watching through the windows. He finished his route, wrote up a report and went home.

“Being the humble individual that Darnell is, he didn’t write it in a way that was going to call attention to himself,” said C. Douglas Hartmayer, spokesman for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. “It was: I did it, got back on my bus and continued. That speaks volumes about his demeanor and character.”

Barton wishes he could speak with the woman again to make sure she’s OK.